Geezer Chili

Yes, it's true.  Geezer in the house.  And that makes me a Geezer-ette, I guess.

Truth is, we still like to eat the same things we've always eaten.  Except at night.  Or after 4:00 in the afternoon.  Or in large amounts.  Or as spicy.  Or as salty.  The list goes on. And on.

Enter Geezer Chili.  We still like to eat chili, but we DON'T like not being able to sleep at night because the heartburn is so bad we want to call the fire department.

This recipe is just a good, basic chili that warms you up without so much heat.  I use mild chili beans, and leave the hot sauce out to make it even more Geezer-friendly.

But this is family friendly too!  My grandkids love to eat this chili, and they each put their own little spins on it.  The youngest one eats it on top of spaghetti, topped with grated cheddar.  The oldest ones top big bowls of it with grated cheddar cheese, more chopped onions, and crackers.  I like to put it in a dish, top it with cheddar cheese, and scoop it with Frito scoops or Tostito scoops.  Grown up kids like it just as much as the younger kids and the geezers!  You can add whatever toppings you like to make it your own.  However you like it, a big bowl of chili on a chilly day can't be beat!

Here is the recipe card:

For a printable version, please click HERE.  

Hope you like it!

Click HERE to see where I share recipes.

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Sausage and Sauerkraut

And it's a good thing....because here it comes!  One more warm day and then fall will swoop in with a flourish!  I am looking at a forecast calling for early morning temps in the 30's!

It will be a perfect time for a Sausage and Sauerkraut supper!  It just tastes like fall to me.  But then, I like sauerkraut.  If you do, you will love this dinner.  For me, it HAS to be served over mashed potatoes.  Because then it's gluten free - WOOHOO!  But it tastes best that way, too.  ❤

I made this dish a few weeks ago, at the end of September.  You can find it  HERE on this menu plan.  The recipe is from Taste of Home, but I tweak it just a little bit.  Nothing major, just a few little ways to cook it.  And I use smoked sausage instead of Polish sausage.  But I'm quite sure it would be good with the Polish sausage! No matter how you make it, it will be yummy!

Here is the recipe card:

For a printable version, please click HERE. 

If you try it, I hope you all like it!  Get those sweaters out!
Click HERE to see the places I share!

Taco Pasta Skillet (Gluten Free)

You know how sometimes things don't go like you had it planned out in your head?  Well, this recipe is one of those things.

I meant to make the recipe from Chef In Training titled Taco Pasta Casserole.  It looks so good, and I'm sure it is!  I chose it to make this week, and while making my shopping list I quickly scanned the ingredients and jotted down the few things I needed that weren't in my pantry already.

So here is what happened.  We just got back from a 2 week vacation.  There is a TON of laundry and cleaning to be done, and lots of suitcases to unpack.  I had my yearly mammogram scheduled for 9:00 AM this morning, and lots of other errands to run besides grocery shopping.  So I was in my high speed mode.

By the time I got back home from the doctor and running errands, it was after noon.  I grabbed my shopping list, and on the way to the store I decided that I was starving.  Really really starving.  But I couldn't take time out to eat because I had to get home to finish unpacking and do more laundry.

So I decided that I would make the casserole gluten free by using gluten free pasta, so I could eat it too.  I grabbed a box of Ronzoni elbow macaroni and finished the rest of my shopping.

By the time I got home it was almost 4:00.  I unloaded groceries, and immediately started dinner because I WAS REALLY HUNGRY.  I pulled out my trusty Dutch oven, made the whole 12 oz. package of gluten free pasta, started browning the hamburger, and then looked at the directions for the recipe.

Uh-oh.  It pays to read the directions before starting the recipe.  I know that!  I am not exactly new to the kitchen.  As I looked at the directions on the Chef In Training blog, I saw that it called for a sauce using milk and FLOUR.  Well, bummer.  That would throw my gluten free idea right out the window.  Then I saw that it needed to be baked.  It was about 92 degrees here today, and no way was I turning on the oven and no way was I waiting that long for dinner!  So here is what I did:  I threw in a jar of salsa con queso cheese dip from Aldi's, a large jar of mild salsa from Aldi's, and although I meant to throw the dry ranch dressing seasoning in I forgot all about it.  I just threw in one package of McCormick's gluten free taco seasoning.  I also threw a diced onion and green pepper in with the hamburger.  I just cooked it on the stovetop in my Dutch oven, and at the end I threw about a cup of grated cheese into it and stirred it up.

And guess what?  It turned out good!  We really liked it, and have plenty left for lunches this week.   am sure the original recipe I intended to make would taste wonderful and a bit different - probably creamier.  So I can't wait to try it next week!  But I will still make it gluten free.  All I will do is sub cornstarch for the flour.

I would definitely make this again, but next time I will use gluten free penne pasta or a more substantial pasta.  I will also add sliced black olives, but I was out of them.  I think black beans might be a good addition too!

Here is a copy of the recipe.  If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, click HERE.

The Salsa Con Queso and Mild Salsa I used were both from Aldi's.  

I am sure you could easily use regular pasta in place of the gluten free pasta and it would be delicious!

This was an easy, quick stovetop dinner.  I think you'll like it!

Classic Meatloaf

Classic cars.  Classic television.  Classic books.  Classic clothes.

It seems I like just about everything classic.

Including meatloaf.  Trying new recipes is fun, and I like tasting a new twist on an old recipe.  But sometimes tried and true is IT.  True comfort.  Just-so-good-that-you-hate-to-mess-with-it good.

This is that kind of meatloaf.  The kind my mom made when I was little.  The kind that just makes you feel good when you eat it.  And the kind that is GREAT on sandwiches the next day - and you will have plenty left for leftovers!

Sometimes simple is best, after all.

Here is the recipe.  If you would like a printable version of this recipe, please click HERE. 

This recipe is being shared at Meal Plan Monday #112 at Southern Bite.

Sticky Barbecue Chicken (A Crockpot Recipe)

If you're looking for a good recipe for a sauce to use in your crockpot with just about any kind of meat, here's one for you to try.  I like to use this sauce with chicken or pork chops, and it is delicious served over rice with extra sauce spooned on top.

It is quick, easy, and delicious!  The chicken and sauce cook together in the crockpot for 5 or 6 hours, and dinner is ready!

Here is the recipe.  For a printed copy of this recipe, please click HERE.

This recipe is linked to Meal Plan Monday #112 at Southern Bite.

Ham and Bacon Grits Casserole

Sometimes when I go grocery shopping, I get carried away.  I look at something, like a ham, and if it's on sale like this one was, I think I want a BIG HAM.  We will have leftovers, hooray!

And then I make this BIG HAM (this one was 11 pounds), and it was so good Sunday night.  Spiral sliced, honey glazed, what's not to yum?  We ate and nibbled some more as we put it away, and when I got it out the next day it had grown back to its original size!  Maybe even bigger.  So I fried up a couple slices to eat with breakfast, and we had huge ham sandwiches at lunch time.  

And when I got it out the next day it had grown back to its original size. AGAIN.  And then I faced a brutal truth....we would never be able to eat all of this ham.  If we eat it every day until we die, there will still be leftovers.  I have outgrown my need for an 11 pound ham.  The bad news is, I have another one in my freezer.  They were on sale before Easter for 99 cents a pound at both Aldis and Meiers.   For spiral sliced ham!  And I have to tell you, Aldis carries the best spiral cut hams I have ever tasted.  Thank Heaven ham is gluten free, or we would really be ham-heavy.  So......

......here's my plan.  I made this quite yummy quiche-like Ham and Bacon and Grits Casserole.  It can be breakfast, or it can be dinner.  For us, it will be breakfast for a few days.  Then, I will boil the rest of the ham and the bone for several hours.  I will pull off the remaining 80 pounds of ham from the bone, strain the stock, and make soup with some of the remaining ham and some beans.  I will cube the remaining ham and freeze it.  And then I'm thinking I may gift the frozen ham, because I think this ham might be enough for me for awhile.  Yep.

Here is what it looked like fresh from the oven:

Here is my recipe for the Ham and Bacon Grits Casserole:

For a printable copy of this recipe, click HERE.

This recipe is linked to Menu Plan Monday #109 at Southern Bite.

Chili for a Wintery Spring Day

Is it spring, or is it winter?  Hard to tell by looking out my window this morning!

The good news?  It was almost all melted by this afternoon!  Whew!

Still, it seemed like a good day for chili!

This chili is not too spicy, just right for warming you up!  You can always add some cayenne pepper if you want to spice it up!  I like it on the not-too-spicy side.  Straight, no cheese.

Here is the recipe I used:

  For a printable copy, click HERE.

This recipe is linked to Meal Plan Monday #105.

Gluten Free Salisbury Steak and Gravy (Instant Pot)

Remember these?  I used to LOVE TV dinners when I was little.  It was a real treat to eat out of aluminum foil tins, and what a challenge it was to try and eat those vegetables!  As a child, that was the only way I got to eat Salisbury Steak.

Throughout the course of our marriage, over 100 or 200 years now, I've tried to make Salisbury Steak a couple times.  It never turned out very well, so I gave up and figured it was one of things that Swanson mastered but I would never get.

Fast forward to Monday and my Instant Pot.  And a wonderful recipe from the blog Live Simply.  Oh, my goodness.  We really enjoyed this!  To me, pure comfort food!

I tweaked the recipe just a little bit.  For one thing, I used all gluten free items.  I did not have gluten free panko bread crumbs (Live Simply's recipe called for panko bread crumbs), so I just used plain gluten free bread crumbs.

The other tweak I made was that I browned the beef patties in a skillet on the stove.  Live Simply's recipe said to brown them on Saute in the Instant Pot, but that seemed like a no-no to me.  First off, I don't want to be reaching down into a deep hot pot to flip over beef patties.  And I made 7 patties, so it would take too long to do 2 patties at a time in the Instant Pot.  So I just used a large skillet and browned the patties 2-3 minutes on each side.  To me, much quicker and I didn't worry about burning my arm.

This turned out so good!!  We loved the gravy!  It was so good on the mashed potatoes AND the beef!  My new favorite gravy recipe!  Here is what my dinner plate looked like:

So good!

Here is the tweaked recipe, or you can head over to Live Simply and use that one!

For a printable version, click HERE.

Thanks, Live Simply, for a wonderful recipe!

This recipe is linked to Meal Plan Monday #103.

Sausage 'N Sauerkraut

There was a hint of spring in the air today!  It was rainy, but warm!  And even though a cold front passes through tonight and leaves us much colder air for a couple days, it warms right back up to the 50's next week!

Today, I am sharing this recipe for Sausage 'N Sauerkraut from the Taste of Home website and magazine.  It is one of my favorite comfort foods.  I have been making this for years and years.  It doesn't look like much, and I have no idea what made me try this recipe the first time I made it after seeing it in an old Taste of Home magazine.  I remember thinking that no one would eat it except me, but I was wrong!  It is one of the only ways my kids and husband will eat sauerkraut.  I love sauerkraut and lots of other German foods, and this recipe is just so good!  At least it is, in my opinion!  If you don't like sauerkraut, you may disagree with me!

Here is a picture of it in my Dutch oven right before I served it over mashed potatoes:

I guess you could serve it over noodles, but there is no way I would do that!  This is SO GOOD over mashed potatoes!  I just don't want to try it any other way.

So here is the recipe:  (The only thing I change from the original recipe is that I use 2 cans of sauerkraut instead of one)

Sausage 'N Sauerkraut

2 pounds of Polish sausage or smoked sausage, sliced

1 can (16 oz) sauerkraut, drained  (I use 2 cans)

1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes

1 cup chopped celery

1 medium onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mashed potatoes, prepared and ready to serve

1.  Prepare your mashed potatoes.

2.  In a Dutch oven over medium heat, brown the sausage, celery, onion, and green pepper.  Saute until the vegetables are tender, and the sausage pieces are nicely browned.

3.  Add the sauerkraut, tomatoes with liquid, brown sugar, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.

4.  Add the bay leaf on top.  Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.  

5.  Remove the bay leaf.

6.  Serve over mashed potatoes.